The Fragrance of Tears

A memoir of Victoria Schofield's thirty-year friendship with her Oxford contemporary, Benazir Bhutto.

In the summer of 1978, Victoria Schofield travelled to Pakistan to join her friend Benazir Bhutto, whose father, the former Pakistani prime minister, was facing charges of treason following a military coup. In the fevered and desperate context of Bhutto's trial and subsequent execution, their university friendship grew into a deeper bond that would last a lifetime, ended only by Benazir's assassination in 2007.

Schofield's memoir sheds light on the troubled recent history of a turbulent region, and affectionately charts Benazir's transformation from Oxford undergraduate to political activist, prisoner and one of the most charismatic and controversial figures in South Asian politics – a woman whose life and career were defined by tragedy.

Praise for The Fragrance of Tears:

'Sheds light on the human side of a courageous politician who could not escape her dynastic destiny' Financial Times

'Abounds with behind-the-scenes gems' Spectator

'The story of a remarkable woman, but not as history has already written it ... Could only have been written by someone like Victoria Schofield' Lyse Doucet, BBC Chief International Correspondent

'Humanises Benazir, whose iconic political status has often obscured the human being' Literary Review

'Beautifully written and deeply moving ... Schofield captures the person – dutiful daughter, erstwhile matchmaker, loyal friend, and, above all, courageous woman' Peter Galbraith